1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an uphill-road detecting device for an automotive vehicle, which is adapted to determine that the vehicle is on an uphill road upon starting of the vehicle.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In controlling a motor vehicle, there may arise a need to determine whether the vehicle is on an uphill road. An example of an uphill-road detector is disclosed in Laid-open Publication No. 58-86512 (published in 1983) of a Japanese Utility Model Application. This detector uses a weight which is supported pivotally in a vertical plane parallel to a running direction of the vehicle. An uphill road on which the vehicle is placed can be sensed by detecting an angle of the pivotable weight with respect to the body of the vehicle.
While the detector indicated above is capable of detecting an uphill road with comparatively high accuracy while the vehicle is at a stop, the detector is easily affected by vibrations of the vehicle body and tends to suffer from comparatively low detecting accuracy while the vehicle is running. Further, this type of detector is relatively complicated in construction and accordingly expensive.